Hubble Telescope Repair

1994/04/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Astronautika

When astronauts from the Endeavour space approached the Hubble Space Telescope at six o'clock on December 4 last year (UT), astronaut Hoffman discovered that the right solar panel was deteriorating. After three years of vibration, it was almost 90º twisted.

At the request of NASA astrophysicists, Hubble did not arrive until the last moment. In fact, a quasar that is a billion light years since December 2 was being studied. At eight and forty-eight minutes, Endeavour's arm grabbed Hubble and abandoned him an hour later, when the astronauts had completed their work. Richard O. Astronauts Covey, Kenneth Bowersox and Claude Nicollier participated in this repair while the other four crew members were in space.

The astronauts made five departures from space to repair the Hubble, with a total of 35 hours and 28 minutes of absence.

After about thirteen weeks, as has been officially said, the Hubble Telescope is sending net images. This year he must investigate the Cefeidas of the constellation of Virgo and send the images of the comet Shoemaker-Levy which then approaches Jupiter.